Car-fender.



D. B. 001m.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED JAF.14, 190B.

Pzitented 0013.27,]908.

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D. E. CONN.

- GAR FENDER.

urmcumn FILED JAIL 14, 1908.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908:

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-mym anew-nu UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

DANA E. CONN, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM G. CRAWFORD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-FENDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANA E. CONN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car fenders, the main object of the invention being to provide a simple construction of fender pivotally su ported upon the end of the car and adapte to be normally projected upward to a folded or inoperative position by balancing weights and to be held in a lowered or operative position by latch mechanism, which mechanism is releasable to permit the fender to be swung upward by the weights, thus enabling the fender upon the rear end of a car to be quickly and conveniently adjusted to an inoperative position when the direction of travel of a car equipped with fenders at opposite ends thereof is reversed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fender of this type in which the looking mechanism is adapted to permit the fender body to swing downward close to the track surface when coming in contact with a person, to catch such person and prevent him from passing beneath the fender and getting under the wheels, and which latch mechanism will hold the fender in such position until released to restore the fender to its normal operative position.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of the invention to the end of a car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, with parts in section and parts broken away to better show the construction. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the fender folded or swung up to an inoperative position. Fig. 4 is a similar View, partially broken away, showing the fender swung downward and locked in such position to prevent a person struck thereby from etting under the wheels.

Referring to the rawings, the numeral 1 designates the end portion of a car, to the under side of which are secured supporting brackets} terminating at their forward ends Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 14, 1908.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Serial No. 410,856.

below the usual end sill of the car. Bolted or otherwise attached at their upper ends to these brackets are de ending hangers 3, ar ranged at opposite si es of the car, each of said hangers comprising a pair of parallel bars or strips connected at a point about midway of their length by a cross pin 4, which serves as a locking device, as hereinafter described.

The fender proper comprises parallel side arms 5, each composed of outer and inner parallel bars or strips 6 and 7, said arms being connected at their forward ends by cross strips 8 and 9, the latter of which may be of a flexible nature to form a buffer to prevent injury to a person run down by the car and struck by the fender. The forward ends of the side arms are downwardly bent or curved and support a rod or shaft 10 on which is revolubly mounted a roller 11 disposed below the bar 9. Normally this roller, when the fender is in operative position, as shown in Fig. 1, stands a little above the surface of the ground or track, but when the fender swings downward said roller comes in contact with the ground or track and prevents injury to the fender, as well as serves asa guard to prevent the person run down from passing beneath the fender.

An angular cross-bar 12 extends between therear ends of the side arms 5 and is reduced at its ends to form pivot portions engaging and connecting the lower ends of the sets of hanger members 3. This cross-bar is reinforced and sustained in operative position by braces 13 connecting the same with the bottom of the car, the bar forming the lower end of an upright frame or fender portion suspended from the car by the hangers 3 and braces 13 and also forming the rear portion of the fenderframe proper. The upright frame is completed by a netting 14 of suitable material stretched between the inner mem bers of the hangers 3, while the fender frame roper is completed by a netting 15 stretched between the inner bars 7 of the side arms and the cross bars 8 and 12, such netting forming a platform to sustain a person picked up by the fender.

The side arms 5 of the fender are ivotally supported between the lower ends 0 the bars of the opposite hangers 3 upon the ends of the bar 12, to adapt the fender to swing in a l vertical plane from a horizontal position to a position parallel with the front of the car, and said arms have rearward extensions 16 carrying counter-balancing weights 17.

Latch bars 18 are pivotally connected at their forward ends to and between the bars of the side arms 5 upon pivot pins 19 and have their upper or rear ends projecting through the spaces between the bars of the hangers 3 for locking engagement with the pins 4, each latch bar being provided on its under side with a series of ratchet teeth 20 to engage the coacting pin 4, so that the said latch bars and ins may be engaged to hold the fender in t e normal operative position shown in Fig. 1 against the resistance of the weights 17, which, when the latch or rack bars are disengaged from the pins, will auto matically swing the fender upward to the folded vertical or inoperative position shown in Fig. 8. By this means the conductor or motor-man of a car upon arriving at the end of a route or reversing the direction of motion of the car may quickly and conveniently throw the fender at the rear end of the car out of operation.

The teeth 20 of the latch or rack bars incline rearward'ly and have their straight abutting shoulders at the forward ends thereof to engage the locking pins 4, thus permitting the fender to swing downward, when a person is struck, to the position shown in Fig. 4, the teeth in this operation sliding over the pins in an obvious manner, and serving to lock the fender in its projected position to prevent the person from passing under the fender and getting under the wheels of the car. Under the counterbalancing action of the weights 17, which tend to throw the fender upward, it will be understood that the latch bars are held positively in engagement against upward or rearward movement by the locking teeth, thus effectually preventing accidental folding of the fender and insuring safety under all normal conditions of service. In order to enable the latch bars to be readily and conveniently disengaged from the. ins when it is desired to fold the fender, re easing means for this purpose is provided. As shown in the present instance, such releasing means comprises cords 21 or the like attached at their rear ends to the respective latch bars and passing at their forwardends through guides 22 on one of the cross bars 8 or 9, said cords being freely movable in said guides and connected at their forward ends to rings or hand grips 23 by which they may be manipulated, said grips being connected by a cord 20, so that an outward pull upon either of the grips will result in the retraction of both latch bars, as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation and advantages of my improved fender will be readily understood, and it will be seen that it provides a fender which may be made and installed at a comparatively low cost, which is eflicient in operation, and which may be readily and conveniently thrown out of operation, while held from displacement from its normal position in use.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, and means for holding the fender in its operative position against the action of the elevating means.

2. A car fender comprising supporting means, a fender body pivotally supported thereby, counterbalancing weights adapted to elevate the fender to an inoperative osition, and counteracting means for ho ding the fender in operative position against the action of the counterbalancing weights.

3. A car provided with a pivoted fender, gravity-controlled means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, and means for holding the fender in its 0 erative position against the action of the e evating means.

4. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, latch mechanism for holding the fender in its operative position against the action of the elevating means, and means for retracting said latch mechanism.

5. A car fender comprising supporting means, a fender body pivotally connected therewith, means for automatically elevating the fender body to an inoperative position, latch mechanism for holding the fender body in operative position against the action of such elevating means, and means for releasing said latch mechanism.

6. A car fender comprising supporting means, a fender body pivotally connected therewith, locking members on the supporting means, means for automatically elevating the fender body to an inoperative position, latch bars carried by the fender body to engage said locking members and hold the fender body in operative position against the action of said elevating means, and means connected with said latch bars for retracting the same to permit the fender body to be automatically elevated.

7. A car fender comprising supporting means, a fender body pivotally connected therewith, counterbalancing weights for elevating the fender body to an inoperative position, locking devices on the supporting means, rack bars pivotally connected with the fender body to engage said lockingdevices to hold the fender against elevation by said elevating means and to permit a downward movement of the fender from such operative position without release, and means connected with said bars whereby the same may be retracted to permit operation of the elevating means.

8. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, and releasable locking means for holding the fender in its operative position against the action of the elevating means, said locking means being operative to permit a limited downward swinging movement of the fender from its operative position without releasing the fender for an automatic upward movement.

9. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, a stationary locking element, and a movable locking ele ment carried by the fender and provided with rack teeth to engage said stationary locking element to hold the fender in its operative position against the action of the elevating means, said teeth having a sliding engagement in one direction with the stationary locking element to permit the fender to move to a limited extent downward from its operative position without disengagement of said locking elements from each other.

10. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the same to an inoperative position, latch devices for holding the fender in its operative position against the action of said elevating means, and means for simultaneously retracting said latch devices.

11. A car provided with a pivoted fender, means for automatically elevating the fender to an inoperative position, relatively stationary locking pins supported by the car, pivoted locking bars carried by the fender and having rack teeth to engage said locking pins, whereby the fender may be held in its operative position against the action of said elevating means, and means for retracting said bars in unison.

12. A fender comprising a stationary rear upright portion, a fender frame pivotally mounted thereon, automatic means for elevating the fender frame to an inoperative position, locking devices on the said stationary rear upright portion, coacting locking devices on the pivoted fender frame adapted when in engagement with the first-named locking devices to hold the fender in its operative position against the action of said elevating means, and means for retracting the said locking devices on the fender frame in unison.

13. A car fender comprising supporting means, a fender body pivotally supported thereby, means carried. by the fender body for automatically elevating the same by gravity from an operative to an inoperative position, and interengaging locking devices upon the supporting means and fender body for holding the latter in its operative position against the action of said elevating means.

14. The combination of a car, hangers pendent therefrom, locking pins carried by the hangers, a fender pivotally mounted upon the hangers, weights carried by the fender for automatically elevating the same by gravity to an inoperative position, pivoted locking bars carried by the fender and provided with rack teeth to engage said locking pins, whereby the fender may be held in its operative position against the elevating action of the weights, and a connection between said bars whereby the same may be simultaneously retracted.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANA E. CONN.

Witnesses:

GERALD M. MORRISON, EMMA S. LIBOUREL. 

